There are some important things you must keep in mind when showing a token of your appreciation to your guests through your wedding favour items. These include among several other things the following;

Always choose practical gift or wedding favour items

Always choose a gift that is edible or have practical value to ensure that your wedding favours serve their purposes. Mini pies, and cake pops are good edible favours, while martini shakers, luggage tags, and stem-less wineglasses are good examples of practical items.

Always make your wedding favours meaningful

Your wedding favours must share what you love with your guests; such favour items must express your personalities. Golf balls and Golf t-shirts for instance shows your passion for the game, while Asian cookies for instance shows your heritage.

Be careful when personalizing wedding favours

Do not over-customize and turn a wonderful wedding favour into something that will be rejected by your guests, always think of whether your guests will still use your wedding favours in the future, they wouldn’t want a wedding favour that will still have your excessive personalized names and photos.

Always add a liner to edible favours

If you are giving your guests edible wedding favours, then you need to arrange for special packaging to extend the shelve lives of such items. You need to keep in mind that packaging materials such as paper bags can easily absorb grease from popcorn and cookies and that can lead to messy favour boxes. Always use wax papers to line the inside of containers for edible favours to prevent grease and oil from leaking through, this will also help prevent your favour boxes from getting ruined.

Always try a wedding favour item before buying it

You don’t have to order for huge quantities of wedding favours at a time, always buy a sample first before you are hundreds to your shopping cart- this is very essential especially when you are buying wedding favour items online. You need to ensure that edible wedding favours taste good and they appear the same way they are displayed on your computer screen. Check out for vendors or sellers that supply wedding favour items samples for free that will save your additional money. If you are buying personalized items such as favour tags or packaging items , then you need to see a proof that inscriptions on personalized items are spelt correctly , the wedding date are written correctly and packaging materials meet your standards.

The new wedding dress trends in 2012 are full of wearable pieces that center on more romantic details, flattering styles and more vivid colours, textures and volume. Wedding fashion styles are always evolving in Vancouver- a city that has been adjudged as one of the most livable cities in the world. Vancouver brides are classy in every way, so also are the city’s bridal designers. Whether you are searching for a classy ball gown, or modern wedding dresses, one thing you cannot but notice is that Vancouver wedding gowns are becoming more flattering and romantic in styles.

The two-tiered skirts

Many had thought that the three-dimensional florals that stole the show in 2011 will continue to steal the show in 2012, that is however not the case. Even though the two and three dimensional florals are stealing in vogue, but in 2012, the two-tiered skirts are back on trend. One thing you cannot take away from the two-tiered skirts is that it gives the wearer a super-flattering style which helps her camouflage her wider hips. If you want to emphasize your hips and show them off to whoever cares, this is a piece if fashion wear you must get.

Illusion necklines

New trends in 2012 are also characterized by lots of romantic and scintillating styles for the neckline coverage. The illusion style neckline coverage is one of the best fashion styles of 2012 in Vancouver, this neckline design gives you a coverage with an embellish layer of fabric that appears to be very delicate but provide veils which covers the skin that would otherwise be exposed. Illusion necklines simply give your neckline some sort of stylish exposure. You will definitely want to try it out.

Blush and Pink shades
Few seasons ago, Vancouver’s bridal runway shows were characterized with subtle pops of colours, many do see such pops of subtle colours as “Quirky” but in 2012, some modifications had been made and what is more prominent on bridal runways now are blush and pink shades and it looks like these fascinating shades will stay for many years to come.

The Horsehair trim

The horsehair trim has been another fascinating fashion trend in Vancouver this year, this trend actually started in 2011 when bridal designers decided to turn dresses inside out. The process of turning dresses inside out has resulted in the exposure of underlay fabrications that now creates more volume and dimension. The modern textural element created by Horsehair trim designs is unique in every way.

Lace Sleeves

Lace sleeves are some of the hottest fashion trends in Vancouver in 2012. Several designers of these fashion pieces were inspired by Kate Middleton- the Duchess of Cambridge and wife of Prince William. Kate Middleton had made the lace sleeves a huge trend in 2012 after she wore the designs on her wedding day in 2011. Lace sleeves have become a big trend in Vancouver this year with fashion designers trying to meet up with their demands.

Cupcakes

It’s not a cake, it’s a cupcake. They are hip, they are customized, and they are elegant.  We are seeing more and more new weds going for cupcakes and not a cake.

Cupcakes Bridge The Partisan Divide – Young & Hungry.

Tantalize your taste buds at several restaurants in Chinatown, Strathcona and the East Side! This evening tasting extravaganza goes from 6pm until 9:30 pm and is presented by Vancouver Foodster.

Each restaurant will be serving up Tasting Plates for guests to enjoy and you will have a chance to visit many different types of restaurants throughout the evening, meet some new food loving friends, meet the chefs, and learn about each of the participating restaurants.

If you haven’t been to our previous Tasting Plates events, Novus TV featured our last event on City Lights (view here).

• Vegetarian options will be available at many of the participating restaurants.
• Bring along a friend or two, your significant other, your family or come solo.
• A food networking dinner event connecting Vancouver’s vibrant food community.

Visit each of the participating restaurants at your leisure by bike, moped, car, transit, walking, roller skates, skateboarding or carpooling.

$3 from each ticket purchased will go to support Project Limelight

Registration: Beta 5 at 413 Industrial Avenue (parking lot) -this is where you will show us your printed or digital tickets and will pick up your Tasting Plates Cards.

Participating restaurants:

East of Main Cafe

Harvest Foods

Beta5

Pazza Rella Pizza

Treasure Green Tea 

more restaurants to be announced soon

Advance Tickets: $30 per person (eventbrite fee extra). $100 for 4 pak of tickets or $120 for 6 pak of tickets (get a group of your friends/family together and save by purchasing a 4 pak or a 6 pak (eventbrite fee extra). Tickets $40 per person (eventbrite fee extra) after November 18^th.

Ticket price includes tasting plates at each of the participating restaurants throughout the evening. A donation of $3 from each ticket purchased will go to support Project Limelight. (Beverages are included at some restaurants which will be noted, you are welcome to purchase wine, beer, cocktails or mocktails at each of the participating restaurants).

Purchase Tickets Here

http://tastingplatesyvrfall.eventbrite.com/

Charity Partner

• This bride is so chic in Delphine Manivet! And doesn’t her groom sort of look like R-Patz? —Pinterest

• A bunch of awesome-looking vendors for brides and grooms in Vancouver! —Ruffled

• 10 games to play if you’re hosting a bridal shower! —SheFinds

• Some ruffle-y DIY pom-pons for garlands, favor-toppers and more! —Green Wedding Shoes

• I’m really into these baby’s breath bridesmaid bouquets, but I would have made ‘em even bigger! (Like, at least twice the size!) —The Broke-Ass Bride

• Unrelated to weddings: I want this coat! So cute! —What the Frock?

• Good Morning America‘s Sam Champion and Rubem Robierb Are Engaged! —Us Weekly

• A posh New York City wedding! (Holy engagement bling!) —Merci

• Dog in bow tie! Dog in bow tie! (And loads of other sweet wedding details!) —Inspired by This

• Mix-and-match bridesmaid dresses! I love, love, love the floral ones! —The Bride’s Cafe

• This picnic wedding featured a bride in a sweet, tea-length dress and LOADS of balloons! —Southern Weddings

• Jack Osbourne’s getting married this weekend! —Celebuzz

Read More http://www.glamour.com/weddings/blogs/save-the-date/2012/10/a-weeks-worth-of-wedding-inspi-28.html#ixzz2A9qYDRd5

Wedding Favours

In order to ensure that your wedding favours serve their purposes you need proper planning keeping in mind some simple facts. Here are some of the things you need to do;

Always have a backup ready

Whether you choose to give a wedding favour per guest, you must always make sure you buy more than enough. You need to get as many as 10 extra favours for every 100 guests you are expecting , these extra favours will make up for any favour that got missing or broken and you will have more than enough to pass around. You need some back up favours because some guests will request for extra, or you might want to keep some favours as sweepstakes.

It is better to buy wedding favour than DIY {DO IT YOURSELF?}

Do-It-Yourself wedding favours might sound like an easy way of saving money but you need to keep in mind the enormous energy and time you will spend on wrapping and packaging as many as 200 to 500 wedding favours for your guests. In a situation where you want to make complicated wedding favours, then you must consider the heart break you will get when the finished product fell short of your desired expectation. In order to avoid wasting your time, energy, and money, you need to get your wedding favours handled by professional wedding favour designers and marketers.

Always put your personal stamp on each of the wedding favours

Personalizing your wedding favours with your stamps make them unique and more valuable. You can seek the help of your friend, family member or company that use Photoshop skills to help you design your own custom tags or labels which will bear your wedding date, monogram, names or initials, and a thank you note for your guests. A custom rubber stamp can be used in adding dates and monograms to your favours. Bridal retails also offer customizing services for wedding favours.

Your favour display must be carefully planned

You need to learn to package and arrange your wedding favours perfectly, smaller favours can be neatly wrapped in nice packaging can be prop on guests’ seats. Don’t crowd your guest tables , make sure you ask for samples of items such as plates, lines, and glasses , and cards, make sure everything works together. If your wedding favours are big enough, you can arrange them at the center piece of the room, you can tuck fresh flowers to decorate wedding favour boxes at the center of the room for instance.

When it comes to getting the best wedding favours , one of the best online retailers you can turn to is Signature cupcakes , wedding favours available here are made from top quality organic, Natural and tasty ingredients.

Where: Workspace – #400 – 21 Water St. (Google Map) (Car Parking). There’s also ample bike parking around Gastown, just make sure you bring your lock!

When: July 10th, 6:30 – 9:30 PM

These times are currently tentative and may change up until the event date:

6:30 – 7:00: Check-in for all attendees and cupcakes. Registration for the competition won’t be accepted after 7:00 PM so make sure you arrive on time.

7:00 – 8:20: Tasting and socializing. We will be bringing out cupcakes at timed intervals and announcing their bakers.

8:20 – 9:00: Time to compete! The winner of each competition will be announced at the end of the hour, and prizes will be awarded accordingly.

9:00 – 9:30: Socializing and closing remarks 

Q: What made you decide to become a vegan chef?

A: “My love for animals inspired me to choose a vegan way of eating and cooking. But once I went to college I just decided I wanted to intern in a restaurant and learn more creative ways to prepare vegan food because a lot of the old-fashioned notions are that it is dry or bland or boring. It was my mission to break those stereotypes and find delicious creative ways of eating vegan.”

Q: How do you dispel the belief that a vegan diet is bland?

A: “For me as a chef, flavour is the most important thing. It is not so much about taking away ingredients and making this a restrictive diet, but instead opening it up to more creative possibilities and adding more flavours and relying on a more varied array of produce and vegetables and spices and herbs. And it is really making sure that no flavour is sacrificed when you are taking out the animal fat.”

Q: How difficult is it to cook without butter and milk and cheese?

A: “It is much easier that you think. With just a couple of tricks you can veganize almost any traditional recipe. For example, when I make my cupcakes I rely on a very simple technique, and that is using just a couple teaspoons of vinegar in the batter. I know that sounds disgusting and I promise you won’t taste the vinegar actually in the cupcake. It is just a chemical trick. The vinegar reacts with the baking soda and it binds the cupcake and makes it rise, so it replaces the egg. That is an extremely reliable technique.”

Q: What are the main sources of protein in a vegan diet?

A: “It has been proven that vegetarians and vegans actually consume more proteins than people who follow a traditional diet because if you are following a healthful vegan diet you are eating vegetables, grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, all these different sources that you may have never consumed before and they are packed with proteins.”

Q: How do you develop most of your recipes?

A: “I have been cooking for a while. My mom is the one who taught me how to cook before my whole family was vegetarian, and we took a lot of old family recipes and actually veganized them. We used some simple techniques that I developed to make them vegan. I like to get a lot of my inspiration from things that are not vegan and turn them vegan.”

Q: What would you advise to someone who is thinking about switching to a vegan diet?

A: “I would say try it. Try it once a week, twice a week. I think the worst thing is when people get bogged down with thinking this is an all or nothing type of diet. That is not the case, at all. Every vegan meal that you eat, every vegan cupcake that you bake is a healthier option. It is great for your environment. It is great for the animal and it is great for your body. It is just fun to try something new.”

Q: Does being a vegan help to maintain a healthy weight?

A: “I found that it did for me. When you are a vegan you are naturally slashing out so many fat sources and calories sources. You are eating a cholesterol-free diet because vegan food has no cholesterol. You are eating a much, much lower content of saturated fat because you are cutting out all the animal fat and also you are eliminating a lot of processed foods because those usually have hidden animal ingredients.”

RECIPE

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

(Makes 14 cupcakes)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour plus teaspoon xanthan gum)

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup cold coffee, water, or coconut milk

1/2 cup canola oil

2 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Frosting

1 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 to 5 tablespoons soy, almond, or rice milk

Garnish

1 1/2 cups hulled and sliced fresh strawberries

Powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) cupcake pans with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together coffee, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not over mix.

Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full with batter. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean with a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.

To make the frosting: Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the shortening until smooth. With the mixer running on low, add powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon nondairy milk at a time, as needed, until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. You may not need to use all of the nondairy milk. Beat on high for 2 more minutes until light and fluffy.

Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, slice off the top 1/3 of each cupcake and slather with frosting and sliced strawberries. Place the top of the cupcake back on top and add an additional bit of frosting and sliced strawberries. Dust with powdered sugar.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/food/Recipe+Vegan+Chocolate+Strawberry+Shortcake+Cupcakes/6294763/story.html#ixzz22uWlDxWH